Who Knew, Subaru?

Recently Mrs. Houseful and I celebrated our 8th year wedding anniversary. It was a very relaxing and thoroughly enjoyable weekend for us. Part of that enjoyment was our mode of transportation. We had the pleasure of riding in style with a 2015 Subaru Legacy.

I’d never driven a Subaru. Other than listening to the Car Talk guys frequently recommend the Subaru Outback to listeners looking for an all-terrain vehicle that isn’t a truck, I’d never really given a second thought their cars. I can say that I was pleasantly surprised with what we experienced.

This isn’t a review, but rather an impression post. I didn’t think to do a review at that time. Sorry folks. Maybe next time. So, without further delay, here are my impressions.

1. The Subaru Legacy has a very sleek design. I wouldn’t have even believed it was a Subaru if it weren’t for the emblem. It was very stylish and we were pleasantly surprised.
2. Leather! Nice, soft, supple leather. The ride in the Legacy was extremely comfortable, and the Leather screamed quality construction and paired nicely with the dash and steering wheel controls. Yes, its only an aesthetic, but with the sleek exterior and smooth leather interior, the aesthetic works!
3. AWD. I don’t believe I’ve ever driven an all wheel drive vehicle before. I used to own a Ford Explorer Sport that had 4 wheel drive, but never AWD. I thought that AWD would somehow diminish gas mileage and responsiveness. In my experience, with vehicles that have 4 wheel drive on, you essentially give up speed and agility for more stability and torque. AWD was not like that. It seems to add more stability without skimping on the agility and responsiveness.
4. Responsiveness. I was pleasantly surprised at this cars responsiveness. What I mean by that is, when I press the accelerator, the car is eager to obey the command. I haven’t experienced this type of responsiveness since my wife’s Pontiac G6 or my V8 5.0 Mercury Grand Marquise. If we weren’t careful, we would skid a little. I liked this effect. It feels good to know that there is no delay between when I press the gas and the vehicle responds.
5. MPG’s! Coupled with the AWD and responsiveness of the Legacy, I thought we’d see a modest 28 miles per gallon. My wife and I used to own a Hyundai Sonata and we were averaging about 33 miles per gallon, but there were moments on the highway when we reached the mid 40’s. It was amazing to see. We were able to travel to and from central Illinois and then up to southern Wisconsin before needing a fill up. It was amazing. It’s been a long time since we’ve enjoyed that type of efficiency. 

All in all, the Subaru Legacy pleasantly surprised us and was an added benefit to our anniversary weekend. Even though we have a 6 member family, Mrs. Houseful and I were able to live the single life… if only for a moment. It was glorious!